The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-09-08


When once destroyed. can never be supplied.
| -G0LUsAlrH.
For the last twenty. five years farm
| ing i'm this country has been more and
more subjected to every other employ.
ment, and even to those classes in 30
ciety who have no employment at ell.
Tramps and pensioners are recent fun
ri, but present their claims with o
boldness no less assuming than the
hungry swsrms In professional and
official life
A few days ago hired girl told me
that her mother. q widow, was petit
tioning the court to have her dover
set OFF in 200 acres of land-a farm in
Cuyahogs county. The girl was one
of four heirs. The land lay in one
body, and was easy of division. The
balance, after the widow was given
her portion, was to be divided into
four shares. She has just shown me q
letter saying that the costs were con-
siderable over $4,000, and that her
share was ninety.four dollars and 40
cents.
Who made such laws? For sup
pose it was done according to law. A
lawyer wrote the letter to the hired
girl, and cheerfully told her that un
less she paid Immediately, the Sheriff
| would proceed to collect out of the
land. There was q charming voracity
about him mean the law which the
profession made This was the last
post mortem dig the law could give
the poor decedent until the widow
dies herself.
What men decay? and how do they
decay? That farmers are decaying
financially in the older parts of our
country there is no doubt; and that
the same blight will strike them all In
time is equally certain.
1t may bs gathered from this that
they are also. deesyiRg physically.
They are certainly very submissive
race. There is less aggressiveness and
sturdiness among us than formerly.
We resemble mere the tenant classes
of Europe where for thousands of years
idleness and craft have learned to pro-
vide q living through law at the cost
of labor.
The wealthy may decay for other
causes; because they live too easy, or
because the property they live on is
too slippsry and precarioas. 1t is
mostly composed of franchises and
privileges under the names of stocks
and bonds, which fuctuate of their
own accord, or are made to do SO by
those who shuttle and deal in them.
1t In net true that the farmer has
any more leisure than when he was
clearing away the woods around his
cabin aud driving away the wild ami
mails. 1t is not true that he knows
any more, though books and newspa-
pers and costly school houses are on
every hand. The old professions skin
him with q facility unknown fifty
years ago; and he submits with a
meekness quite worthy the tenantry
of England.
If labor saving machinery helps in
our direction, it must be remembered
| that inventors, manufacturers-and
don't forget their agents-all fling
themselves for their support ON the
farmer. Very generously he gives
many of them riches, and they endow
| -.l1..a. ord ooof fhonnsolyoo in fpo
churches built by their donations.
With colleges the farmers will have
less and less to do. Even agricultural
institutions are considerably above his
ordinary aspirations.
His recreations and honors are grow
ing less and less. Very soon he will
be only a tenant in the broad land he
has brought into use and civilization.
49,